Two things have happened reccently in my genealogical life that have really had a hard blow to me.
This first is that yesterday, Michigan Governer, Jennifer Granholm, signed an executive order to close the Library of Michigan. The order closes the libraries doors as of Oct 1, 2009. It also gives the libraries collections the opportunity to be aquired by other agencies and if not....they are going to be destroyed! The Library of Michigan houses Michigan's state genealogical collection. The genealogy collection has been a valuable tool for many Michigan genealogists and it is a tragdey that this valuble asset will be lost. Worst of all, the collection holds rare one-of-a-kind books and records that if destroyed they will be forever. I literally cried when I heard this news.
The executive order can be viewed at:
www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/EO36_285881_7.pdf
The second thing that happened, came about today. I frequently use the website www.findagrave.com to request photos of headstones of family and potential family members. A couple days ago I requested photos for around 8 or 9 Fitzgeralds that are in Iowa near where one of my GGGrandfather's brother moved to. When I opened the links from my email to the memorials I found that the lady who volunteered to take the photos used chalk on the stone because they "are difficult to read". When I confronted her (via email) about using something she admitted it was chalk and told me that "it only damages Limestone stones". This is not true! Also this practice is completely against Find-A-Grave's policies. I ultimately asked her not to do any more of my photo requests because I cannot condone this behavior. It made my stomach knot up when I saw this.
Remember that never to use anything but plain water and a soft brush on a headstone. Chalk, cornstarch, baby powder, shaving cream....all damages headstones in different ways. All types of stones, not just limestone. We want these stones to be around for a long time.
May your research lead to your ancestors.
Happy Hunting.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Legacy 7.0 vs Family Tree Maker
Note: I am NOT being compensated by the makers of Family Tree Maker or Legacy for this entry. This is in response to a blogging prompt posted on facebook by the Genea-Bloggers group! The information contained here is base solely on my experiences using these software programs.
I admit that I am a converted Family Tree Maker user. Converted from Family Tree Maker that is. When I first started working on my family history it consisted of writing letters and waiting weeks to hear back from family members to returned filled out family group sheets. Which then would be typed up on my mother's electric type-writer. (That was big technology back then!) The internet hadn't even been invented yet! (And for all you who grew up with the internet, I'm not that old). We had computers, but they were the good old apple greenscreens. Being in my early teeens I had no source of income and we didn't have a computer for quite some time.
My very first exposure to Family Tree Maker was when I met my (now) Mother-in-law when my husband and I first started dating. She opened up my eyes to the world of Genealogy databases and.....Ancestry....! My Mother-in-law was an avid, long-time genealogist and she showed me all the wonderful things that Family Tree Maker could do. She popped a date disk in and I instantly started finding family members in my tree and was happily printing away sheets of information. Then I learned about Ancestry. Many hours was spent searching the pages that ancestry had to offer. That Christmas my husband bought me my first copy of Family Tree Maker. I think it was version 5.0 or 6.0. It was the delux version and it came wiith something like 20 data CD's as well and if that wasn't enough, it also came with a free 1-year subscription to Ancestry. Much to my parents' dismay, I'm sure. Every year for the 1st 3 or 4 years I faithfully bought the upgrades and got my free year to ancestry. Then I asked myself, why was I spending money every year to upgrade Family Tree Maker, and I quit buying the upgrades.
I continued to use Family Tree Maker until about two years ago. I had subscribed to Family Tree magazine and read an article about the top genealogy software databases and they were user tested by a panel of genealogists of varying expereince, all using the same dataset. Among the scores, Legacy recieved the highest overall ratings and Family Tree Maker came in somewhere in the bottom 2 (out of 4 or 5 programs tested). Legacy offers a free version of their software online, so I downloaded it and gave it a try. Withing a week I bought the full version and I haven't turned back since.
So, what's good and what isn't? With Family Tree maker, obviously I liked the free year to Ancestry, espcially when the price for the world version of Ancestry costs about $300/year, if you purchase the annual option, more if you go month by month. I also liked the data CDs that came with the program, but I could never seem to find information on my family lines. What I didn't like about Family Tree Maker first and foremost is they wanted me to contribute my research, the work that I have put literally hundereds of hours into to them so they could turn around and sell it and make a profit, while I got nothing out of it. After using Legacy, I find that Ancestry's sourcing function could be improved, I never knew what I needed to put into the source to properly cite my sources. I also got tired of buy the updated version every year for Family Tree Maker.
I know there are lots of Family Tree Maker fans out there and if that is the program you are happy with, then that is what you should use. After trying out another program, I just found that I like Legacy better and it works better for the type of researcher that I am.
So what about Legacy? Well I like that I was able to try out Legacy for free for starters, who doesn't like something for free? Of course several features were unavailable in the free version that I couldn't access until I bought the full version. I like Legacy's layout design and when I bought my copy of Legacy 6.0, 7.0 was so close to being released that I got the upgrade for free! Thank you Legacy! Legacy's sourcing function makes citing sources easy because it is all fill-in the box and then the program arranges the information in the proper order. Another feature I like about Legacy is companion programs! Legacy comes with a charting program that is fun to play with and make all kinds of fancy charts. There are also several programs fromt the makers of Legacy that interface with Legacy. Some of these programs work with Palm Pilots and Microsoft's Palm PC these programs supposedly interface with legacy, however I have never been able to get my version that I bought for my palm pilot to work, and honestly with my laptop the program lost its novelty after a couple months. Passage Express (PE) is another add-on program that interacts with Legacy. Although I have never bought the full version I have played around with the basic free version and it is pretty elaborate in what it can do. PE creates interactive CDs that you can make and share with your family. Think of it as a digital scrapbooking program that is designed towards genealogy. I actually thought that CDs made from this would make a great family reunion fund raiser! All these companions are great, but you have to pay for each program. The palm pilot and palm pc programs cost around $25 to $35, depending on which companion program you purchase. PE costs around $55.
Ok, so at one point I tried Roots Magic's free version and honestly I was happy enough with Legacy that I wasn't really interested in trying another Genealogy database. I do recommend trying out a couple databases, espcially if you can try them for free or borrow from a friend (remember to abide by software licensing laws) and try out different programs to find what works for you and what you like best. Also check out trade magazine for reviews of the database programs. They are a good source for not only the PC programs, but the Mac programs as well.
There are many good programs out there for genealogists and I think each has their pros and cons. It just depends on what kind of researcher you are and what you are looking for in a database program.
I admit that I am a converted Family Tree Maker user. Converted from Family Tree Maker that is. When I first started working on my family history it consisted of writing letters and waiting weeks to hear back from family members to returned filled out family group sheets. Which then would be typed up on my mother's electric type-writer. (That was big technology back then!) The internet hadn't even been invented yet! (And for all you who grew up with the internet, I'm not that old). We had computers, but they were the good old apple greenscreens. Being in my early teeens I had no source of income and we didn't have a computer for quite some time.
My very first exposure to Family Tree Maker was when I met my (now) Mother-in-law when my husband and I first started dating. She opened up my eyes to the world of Genealogy databases and.....Ancestry....! My Mother-in-law was an avid, long-time genealogist and she showed me all the wonderful things that Family Tree Maker could do. She popped a date disk in and I instantly started finding family members in my tree and was happily printing away sheets of information. Then I learned about Ancestry. Many hours was spent searching the pages that ancestry had to offer. That Christmas my husband bought me my first copy of Family Tree Maker. I think it was version 5.0 or 6.0. It was the delux version and it came wiith something like 20 data CD's as well and if that wasn't enough, it also came with a free 1-year subscription to Ancestry. Much to my parents' dismay, I'm sure. Every year for the 1st 3 or 4 years I faithfully bought the upgrades and got my free year to ancestry. Then I asked myself, why was I spending money every year to upgrade Family Tree Maker, and I quit buying the upgrades.
I continued to use Family Tree Maker until about two years ago. I had subscribed to Family Tree magazine and read an article about the top genealogy software databases and they were user tested by a panel of genealogists of varying expereince, all using the same dataset. Among the scores, Legacy recieved the highest overall ratings and Family Tree Maker came in somewhere in the bottom 2 (out of 4 or 5 programs tested). Legacy offers a free version of their software online, so I downloaded it and gave it a try. Withing a week I bought the full version and I haven't turned back since.
So, what's good and what isn't? With Family Tree maker, obviously I liked the free year to Ancestry, espcially when the price for the world version of Ancestry costs about $300/year, if you purchase the annual option, more if you go month by month. I also liked the data CDs that came with the program, but I could never seem to find information on my family lines. What I didn't like about Family Tree Maker first and foremost is they wanted me to contribute my research, the work that I have put literally hundereds of hours into to them so they could turn around and sell it and make a profit, while I got nothing out of it. After using Legacy, I find that Ancestry's sourcing function could be improved, I never knew what I needed to put into the source to properly cite my sources. I also got tired of buy the updated version every year for Family Tree Maker.
I know there are lots of Family Tree Maker fans out there and if that is the program you are happy with, then that is what you should use. After trying out another program, I just found that I like Legacy better and it works better for the type of researcher that I am.
So what about Legacy? Well I like that I was able to try out Legacy for free for starters, who doesn't like something for free? Of course several features were unavailable in the free version that I couldn't access until I bought the full version. I like Legacy's layout design and when I bought my copy of Legacy 6.0, 7.0 was so close to being released that I got the upgrade for free! Thank you Legacy! Legacy's sourcing function makes citing sources easy because it is all fill-in the box and then the program arranges the information in the proper order. Another feature I like about Legacy is companion programs! Legacy comes with a charting program that is fun to play with and make all kinds of fancy charts. There are also several programs fromt the makers of Legacy that interface with Legacy. Some of these programs work with Palm Pilots and Microsoft's Palm PC these programs supposedly interface with legacy, however I have never been able to get my version that I bought for my palm pilot to work, and honestly with my laptop the program lost its novelty after a couple months. Passage Express (PE) is another add-on program that interacts with Legacy. Although I have never bought the full version I have played around with the basic free version and it is pretty elaborate in what it can do. PE creates interactive CDs that you can make and share with your family. Think of it as a digital scrapbooking program that is designed towards genealogy. I actually thought that CDs made from this would make a great family reunion fund raiser! All these companions are great, but you have to pay for each program. The palm pilot and palm pc programs cost around $25 to $35, depending on which companion program you purchase. PE costs around $55.
Ok, so at one point I tried Roots Magic's free version and honestly I was happy enough with Legacy that I wasn't really interested in trying another Genealogy database. I do recommend trying out a couple databases, espcially if you can try them for free or borrow from a friend (remember to abide by software licensing laws) and try out different programs to find what works for you and what you like best. Also check out trade magazine for reviews of the database programs. They are a good source for not only the PC programs, but the Mac programs as well.
There are many good programs out there for genealogists and I think each has their pros and cons. It just depends on what kind of researcher you are and what you are looking for in a database program.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Finding Famous Graves and Local "celebrities"
When I was thinking about this week's Gena-Bloggers prompt about visiting a local cemetery and writing about famous people buried within the cemetery, of course I thought of the largest cemetery locally and the people who I would consider famous to some level or another.
Oakwood Cemetery in Traverse City has a few 'famous' people buried within it's 40 plus acres of land. Some of the people are buried within are more locally famous than know outside the Grand Traverse Region.
The first person to come to mind is Perry Hannah. Mr. Hannah was a local lumber baron and a founding father of Traverse City. Ask anyone who is native to Traverse City and chances are they know something about Perry Hannah, even if it is just that he built the massive mansion on sixth street, which now occupies a local funeral home. Mr. Hannah was largely responsible and had an influence over many developments in Traverse City including the state hospital, the large state bank and even the cemetery in which he now rests in with his family. Perry Hannah was born 24 Sept 1824 outside of Erie Pennsylvania and died just a month short of his 80th birthday on 13 Aug 1904 just a few days after suffering a paralytic stroke.
Another person layed to rest in Oakwood cemetery is Donald Melvoin or better known to many adults my age as Deputy Don or Firemand Freddy. Deptuy Don was a favorite Saturday morning kids show. Mr. Melvoin lived out his years in Traverse City after retiring from his acting career. He was born 26 October 1922 and died 8 April 2002.
Oakwood Cemetery in Traverse City has a few 'famous' people buried within it's 40 plus acres of land. Some of the people are buried within are more locally famous than know outside the Grand Traverse Region.
The first person to come to mind is Perry Hannah. Mr. Hannah was a local lumber baron and a founding father of Traverse City. Ask anyone who is native to Traverse City and chances are they know something about Perry Hannah, even if it is just that he built the massive mansion on sixth street, which now occupies a local funeral home. Mr. Hannah was largely responsible and had an influence over many developments in Traverse City including the state hospital, the large state bank and even the cemetery in which he now rests in with his family. Perry Hannah was born 24 Sept 1824 outside of Erie Pennsylvania and died just a month short of his 80th birthday on 13 Aug 1904 just a few days after suffering a paralytic stroke.
Another person layed to rest in Oakwood cemetery is Donald Melvoin or better known to many adults my age as Deputy Don or Firemand Freddy. Deptuy Don was a favorite Saturday morning kids show. Mr. Melvoin lived out his years in Traverse City after retiring from his acting career. He was born 26 October 1922 and died 8 April 2002.
I want to share a blog I found written by a young genealogist, Elyse. It was amazing. Read her blog then I have attached my reply below. It is wonderful to have other 'young people' interested in their family history.
http://elysesgenes.blogspot.com/2009/07/genealogy-societies-need-to-look-toward.html
Elyse,
Your blog was very powerful. My friend, Brenda wrote about me above. I have one story to share, when I was giving my presentation in June I came in to see that an elementary school teacher of mine is a member of our society! She was the one who gave me an assignment to fill our a pedigree chart. That is the seed that was planted and since then it has grown to a hobby that I am very passionate about! I can definately understand hesitation joining a genealogical scoiety, even at almost 30 I'm probably the youngest member of our soceity currently. My goal is to attract more people 'my age' to our group. I have never felt out of place in the society and they have welcomed me with open arms. I was even asked to take a position on the board this year and like Brenda mentioned above, I gave my first presentation last month.
When I talk to colleges and friends they think that genealogy takes a lot of time and I try to tell them that with online databases and wireless internet and laptops that researching can be done while watching their favorite TV show at night. I also mention there are lots of free sites for reserach and that there is lots of interesting things to be discovered out there!
What you (and other young genealogists) are doing is wonderful. We have the advantage (most of the time) of having our grandparents alive and sometimes even our greatgrandparents sometimes. I have a 3 year old daughter who has to have her own forms when I am working and she travels frequently with me to cemeteries to take photographs and when she was still a tiny baby I would pack her up in her car seat carrier and take her along with me to do research in the library. I hope she catches the same passion that I have for family history.
Good Luck and Take care! I look forward to seeing more on your blog!
Alanna
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Independence Day, Thank a vet
First of all, I am so excited to share that my blog is now part of the Geneablogger website list. I am very excited to be a part of the Geneabloggers and that I am now included on the list on the website. See the website at http://www.geneabloggers.com/.
As we all head off to our traditional, or not so traditional, 4th of July activities, take time to pause and thank the veterans that have afforded us, through whatever sacrifices, the freedoms that we enjoy today. Very few times are these men and women thanked for their sacrfices that they make to serve our country.
Whatever your celebrations are today, have fun and be safe! Remember when you are gathered around with the family to start jotting down those family stories as well, not matter how mundane they may seem...they are the treasures of future generations who will be curious about our lives, just as we are curious about past generations.
Happy Independence Day and Thank you to all the men and women of our Military for the sacrifices that you make everyday.
As we all head off to our traditional, or not so traditional, 4th of July activities, take time to pause and thank the veterans that have afforded us, through whatever sacrifices, the freedoms that we enjoy today. Very few times are these men and women thanked for their sacrfices that they make to serve our country.
Whatever your celebrations are today, have fun and be safe! Remember when you are gathered around with the family to start jotting down those family stories as well, not matter how mundane they may seem...they are the treasures of future generations who will be curious about our lives, just as we are curious about past generations.
Happy Independence Day and Thank you to all the men and women of our Military for the sacrifices that you make everyday.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Thinking about family traditions
Fourth of July is just around the corner, it is time to think about family traditions once again. In our family we all gather at Grandma's house for a 4th barbecue. Cooking out on Grandma's deck has become a family tradition for my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.
Another bonus to our family traditions is being about the see the National Cherry Festival air shows from Grandma's back yard. My parents live 2 houses away, and growing up between the airport and the airshow space has always had its advantage, we have our own private viewing area from the back yard! Until the trees got too tall we were able to see most of the fireworks as well.
These family get together's are a good time to update some files as well and share my latest research accomplishments. It is also a time for our family to share stories and, of course, get the latest updates on everyone's lives.
Happy 4th and Happy Researching!
Another bonus to our family traditions is being about the see the National Cherry Festival air shows from Grandma's back yard. My parents live 2 houses away, and growing up between the airport and the airshow space has always had its advantage, we have our own private viewing area from the back yard! Until the trees got too tall we were able to see most of the fireworks as well.
These family get together's are a good time to update some files as well and share my latest research accomplishments. It is also a time for our family to share stories and, of course, get the latest updates on everyone's lives.
Happy 4th and Happy Researching!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Presentation Completed
I woke up today with butterflies in my stomach, knowing it was my big day to give my presentation at the GTAGS meeting. I was so nervous while she was introducing me, but once I got up front and started talking it was O.k. The whole presentation was about 45 minutes with about 10 minutes of questions and discussions at the end.
Many people told me that they thought the information that I presented was useful and that I did a good job. I presented on internet genealogical research. I tried to keep a very basic information because there is such a range of experience within the group. Everyone can benefit from returning to the basics now and then.
A special thanks to Internet Genealogy magazine for sending me 30 copies of the current issue to hand out at my presentation. What a great addition to hand out to the attendees. There were only a couple copies left at the end.
I was asked in a roundabout way about speaking again next year. We shall see.
Happy Ancestor Hunting.
Many people told me that they thought the information that I presented was useful and that I did a good job. I presented on internet genealogical research. I tried to keep a very basic information because there is such a range of experience within the group. Everyone can benefit from returning to the basics now and then.
A special thanks to Internet Genealogy magazine for sending me 30 copies of the current issue to hand out at my presentation. What a great addition to hand out to the attendees. There were only a couple copies left at the end.
I was asked in a roundabout way about speaking again next year. We shall see.
Happy Ancestor Hunting.
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